Last U.S. man to win Boston says race should not change

Jeffrey Martin, USA TODAY Sports
4:42 p.m. MST April 18, 2013

Greg Meyer crosses the finish line on Monday, April 18, 1983, to win the 87th Boston Marathon. Meyer ran the race on Monday with his two sons to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his victory, the threesome finishing just minutes before two bombs exploded near the finish line, killing three people and wounding more than 180.(Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Story Highlights

Greg Meyer ran with his two sons to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Meyer's 1983 victory in the Boston Marathon

Meyer says despite the bombings, he hopes the race returns bigger and better than ever in 2014

Meyer says the citizens of Boston %u201Ccherish, embrace and celebrate" the marathon as more than a race

Greg Meyer loves Boston like a second hometown, which is why he and his family will be back next April.

Meyer won the Boston Marathon in 1983, the last American male to claim the open race. The 30th anniversary of that victory was Monday, when he was flanked for the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boylston Street by his sons, Jay and Dan, for the first time.

A little more than four hours after the start, at times more of a struggle than any could have predicted, all three crossed the finish line. Meyer's daughter, Nicolle, was there to greet them. Years in the planning, the feel-good moment seemed picture-perfect – until the image was shattered within minutes by two deadly explosions that Meyer and his three adult children felt and heard, but did not see. Three people died and more than 180 were injured, many requiring amputations to survive.

"The actual run is something I will never forget," Jay Meyer, 29, said. "It was a great day until the end."

Greg Meyer says he feels guilty for crossing the finish line when he and his sons did, reflecting on what transpired later. He understands the attack is what the 2013 race will be remembered for, and he realizes that how the marathon is monitored and secured will likely never be the same. Already, the effect will be felt this weekend at the London Marathon, where the race will go on with an increased police presence.

In Boston, after 117 years of minor variation, Meyer thinks little else will change. Nor should it, he says.

And it's why there is a groundswell of support to make the 2014 Boston Marathon bigger and better than ever. Meyer says he and his children will return in some capacity, whether to run or cheer. Meyer says he also hopes the iconic Bill Rodgers, at 66, comes out of retirement to run Boston again.

"We love this race," Meyer says. "If you talk to any of us (past winners), Boston is just special to us. We don't own it, but we're protective of it. Anything we can do to support it, to keep it healthy, we'll do it.

For Meyer, 57, who is from Grand Rapids, Mich., Boston is a place he always enjoys, especially considering his prominent and unique connection to the city's running community. He lived there on and off for 15 years. Two of his three children were born there, and he attended graduate school at Boston University.

But it's the marathon that tugs at his heart now, and will continue to lead him back in the years ahead.

"To me, it's the tradition of Boston," he says. "More than any other race in the world, the fans cherish, embrace and celebrate. They're the secret ingredient. No one else has it. Some (marathons) have faster times, some have more money. But you can't buy tradition."

"It's an event in Boston. It's not just a race."

Jay Meyer agreed.

"I'd like to think this would be the spirit of people wherever this might have happened, but because it's Boston, and it's such a big event that is special to so many people, that spirit is unique to Boston."